In a South African family where there has been a traditional healer, or sangoma, it's believed that the ancestors want a representative in each generation, to take on the role of healing and providing a channel for the power of the ancestral spirits.

India's booming economy means a growing demand for the resources and raw materials which feed its factories, but one indigenous community under threat is determined to protect its way of life.The ceremony began when the shaman came staggering out of his hut.He had splashes of fresh blood daubed on his face and stared blindly as he began a shuffling, swaying dance to the rhythm of the drums.After a few moments the first woman fell to the ground.

Before there was your family pharmacist, and long before chain drug stores popped up all over, aches and ills were addressed by potions and poultices made from North Fork plants. Nancy Smith of Mattituck, a master gardener for 30 years, has long been fascinated by the role native plants played in the medicine of the Native Americans whose village once stood on the land thatís now home to the Mattituck-Laurel Historical Society.

Humans have been the most successful species on the planet (roaches and rats have done well, too). Scientists credit our success to three traits: technology innovation, group collaboration, and communication. Humans not only have all three abilities, but we excel at all three. The question of when we started being human and flexing our abilities has been coming under constant revision in recent years.

For centuries, the plants of the Peruvian rain forest have offered their healing properties to those who sought a cure for scores of ailments. Last month, a local Hays High School graduate had the opportunity to explore Peru's herbal medicines through a University of Kansas School of Pharmacy internship.